Chief (ret.) T. John Cunningham has over 26 years’ experience in the public safety sector. He is currently the Assistant Commissioner of Emergency Services for the Minnesota Department of Public Safety. He is directly responsible for overseeing the divisions of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (HSEM), Emergency Communication Networks (ECN), State Fire Marshal (SFM), Pipeline Safety, and State Safety Oversight (SSO). He is the chair of the Statewide Emergency Communications Board (SECB) and sits on several other appointed boards, committees, and working groups.
Prior to his appointment as Assistant Commissioner in 2023, Chief Cunningham was the Fire Chief and Emergency Management Director for the City of Brooklyn Park, the fourth largest city in the metropolitan area and the sixth-largest city in Minnesota. The fire department is a progressive, full-service emergency response and public safety agency handling over 9,500 incidents annually. Under his leadership, the department more than doubled its full-time firefighting force, modernized its front-line fleet, created a full-time fire training academy, expanded its arson investigation capabilities, and developed a plan to replace its aging fire stations.
Chief Cunningham’s educational background includes a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management from Fairfield University and a Master’s Degree in Homeland Security Leadership from the University of Connecticut. He also holds a certificate in Collaborate Leadership in Homeland Security from the University of Connecticut and is a certified fire officer, instructor, and Emergency Medical Technician (EMT). In 2022, he completed the Shannon Leadership Institute (previously part of Wilder Foundation), a cohort of non-profit, community, and government leaders seeking a “renewed commitment to community service.”